Ryanair, the Irish low-cost carrier (LCC), has today released its winter schedule for the UK's Bournemouth Airport (BOH). Let's have a look at which changes the winter schedule will bring about.

One based aircraft and two new routes

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, has today announced its new winter 2022 schedule for Bournemouth, an airport located on the south coast of the British mainland.

Among the changes the new schedule envisages, the airline has announced it will offer direct flights to Lanzarote in Spain and Venice in Italy, two ideal destinations to escape the rainy and cold British weather. With the addition of Lanzarote and Venice, the carrier will offer a total of 10 destinations from the Dorset airport.

Additionally, the airline will base one of its aircraft at Bournemouth Airport, representing an investment of $100 million and creating 30 local direct jobs. Starting next winter, Ryanair will operate almost 40 weekly flights from the southern British facility, expanding Bournemouth customers' choice and convenience.

Watch out for the Ryanair seat sale

In order to celebrate the new Winter 2022 schedule at Bournemouth, Ryanair is launching a seat sale. Fares will start from £24.99 to fly between November 1st and March 23rd. To take advantage of the special sale, tickets must be purchased by next Friday, October 28th. Ryanair's Head of Communication, Jade Kirwan, stated:

"Ryanair is pleased to announce its new Bournemouth Winter schedule with 2 exciting new routes to Lanzarote and Venice. With almost 40 weekly flights across 10 routes, our Bournemouth customers and their families can look forward to booking a much-deserved city break or winter sun getaway with the UK’s most reliable airline"

Why Lanzarote and Venice?

Network management is a fascinating and complex aspect of airline operations. Every time a new route is launched, a lot of work is done behind the scenes to understand where the airline should fly to boost its revenues. Let's try and understand what led Ryanair to launch Lanzarote and Venice as the new two destinations from Bournemouth.

According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), Spain will be the largest aviation market for the UK in 2022, with 21,876,075 seats offered. This year, the top three Spanish destinations from the UK will be Mallorca, Malaga, and Alicante.

All these three cities are sunny and warm all year round, and thus offer the perfect alternative to the cold and rainy British winter weather. Therefore, it is not surprising that Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, has been chosen by the Irish LCC as its next winter destination from Bournemouth Airport.

According to trends, British nationals look for sun, warmth, and the Mediterranean sea during winter. Lanzarote is already a beloved winter destination in the UK, ranking seventh in 2022 per number of seats.

From Bournemouth, Ryanair already flies to the top five Spanish holiday destinations - Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Alicante, Tenerife, and Barcelona. Therefore, Lanzarote seems the most logical addition to its winter schedule.

After Spain, the domestic market, and the US, Italy represents the fourth largest market for the UK. Particularly, after Milan and Rome, Venice is its third most important destination. Of the three Italian cities, Venice, together with Rome, is the most attractive for leisure travelers. However, between the capital and the little northern gem, Venice is more suitable for those looking for a weekend getaway.